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When we launched Civil Beat, one of the reasons I was taken with the endeavor was the commitment to helping residents of Hawaii learn about their state.

The verbs we used to describe what the news service was about were active: learn, understand, debate and discover.

What was an idea is now a reality, as can be seen by what happened on the site this week and what we’ve got planned for next week.

Our journalism is based on questions. So this week some of the most interesting conversation centered around the article by contributor, Catherine Toth, Why Isn’t Honolulu Bike Friendly?, and its related topic page about cycling in Hawaii.

Another example came from our Chad Blair‘s examination of who’s supporting the heavyweight governor candidates slugging it out in the Democratic primary. Not only did he tell you Where Mufi and Neil Get Their Money, he also revealed the astonishing level of support former Mayor Mufi Hannemann received from the folks who worked for him at Honolulu Hale, in Giving It Up for the Boss.

Our education reporter, Katherine Poythress, didn’t just tell you about the state Department of Education’s Race to the Top application, What Hawaii Says It’ll Do To Win Race To The Top. She also told you why it might be reasonable to question their promises, as sweet as they might sound to experts in Washington, D.C., Promises, Promises — But Can The DOE Make Good?.

That article prompted an op-ed submission, Education and the Elections, by educators concerned about where things are heading. The op-ed is a valuable form, a place for people with unique perspectives to share their expertise. They’re another way, in addition to joining our discussions, for you to participate. We don’t guarantee that we’ll publish all submissions, but let me put it this way: We’re open and we’ve believe they have real value. Why else would we be publishing a series of essays from the new book, “The Value of Hawaii?” Last week University of Hawaii professor Sumner La Croix shared his perspective on the state of the state’s economy. On Monday, you’ll learn about tourism in an essay by Ramsay Remigius Mahealani Taum.

The learning doesn’t just occur on the site itself. On Thursday we’ll hold a Beatup at Civil Beat headquarters to discuss the role of the Hawaii State Bar Association in the judicial nomination process. We’ll talk about the issue with Bar Association President Hugh Jones and former Attorney General Michael A. Lilly. To learn how to attend this free, public event, go to our Beatup page.

Why is all this learning so important?

Maybe this simple fact will explain: As you’re reading this article, the first ballots for the primary election, where we’ll decide on the next mayor and prosecutor for Honolulu, are in the mail. In a matter of days, Hawaii residents will be casting their votes for those positions and to select the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor. That’s right — next week.

They’ll be fulfilling a most fundamental responsibility of a citizen — and to do that responsibly we believe people need good information.

With our Fact Check feature, where we test the claims of political candidates, we’re trying to get under the surface of the day’s events.

Take the claim by former Congressman Neil Abercrombie that Hannemann left Honolulu in the “worst financial position of any city I can imagine.” Not only did we show that he was wrong, our Fact Check also provided perspective by which citizens could evaluate the financial health of their city.

Or the claim by Hannemann, standing on stage next to Abercrombie and nobody else, “I am very pleased to be the only candidate standing on stage today to have gone to public schools.” Not only was he wrong, but our Fact Check was an opportunity for citizens to learn about the backgrounds of the candidates.

We applied the same scrutiny to the statements of Peter Carlisle and the assertions of Kirk Caldwell, the leading mayoral contenders.

Why does this kind of critical examination of politicians matter?

As they say, sunshine is the best disinfectant. We’ve got plenty of sunshine in Hawaii, but you can never have enough when it comes to government.

Next week Civil Beat will be opening the blinds a bit wider. We’ll be doing in Hawaii what has been done in , sharing what is a public record but is usually kept in a file cabinet: government salaries. Yes, that’s right. You’ll be able to come onto Civil Beat’s website and learn how the state government is using your tax dollars. We’ll be publishing the pay for more than 20,000 state workers, with many more to come.

Government spending is required to be transparent so citizens can understand where and how their money is being spent. The more the public knows about how the government spends its money, the more likely the money will be spent well. Salary figures reveal what work we value most and what work we value least.

That sunlight makes it far more likely that no special deals will be cut, or that basic inequities will be allowed to persist. I’ll write about this more on Monday.

We hope you’ll drop by Civil Beat next week and take a look. I think you’ll find there’ll be something to learn from the list of salaries, the searchable database we’ve created and the stories we’ve written, too.